Heart of the Sword
by claihm solais
Summary: Something I had to write after reading Manga Vol. 25. Yahiko's fought many strong opponents, and he's become stronger. Now, he's standing in front of Kujiranami, and he's determined to hold the line, no matter what.


Heart of the Sword 

A Rurouni Kenshin ficlet

By: Patrick Nguyen Huu

Disclaimer: I don't own RuroKen, Watsuki does!

Summary: Yahiko has fought strong opponents – Henya, of the Juppongatana, Otowa Hyoko, of the Six Comrades, and now he's fighting Kujiranami Hyogo, of the same. He imitated Kenshin's _Ryu Tsui Sen_ and _Ryu Sho Sen_. He's fighting to protect those around him, determined to hold the line until he can't lift his sword anymore. And all of a sudden, the air and leaves around him spring to life. He can hear them. He can feel them. And his heart answers their call.

It was a nearly impossible sight. A giant of a man, muscled to the extreme, was towering in the middle of the street, his right hand missing and in its place, from the elbow onwards, was a grotesque mesh of stitching and wiring that held fast the grenade launcher that was attached to the stump of the arm. He almost negligently flicked the half-dozen police officers who were trying to stop him off, so deeply lost in his rage that he barely noticed them.

"Battousai!" He howled in anger, so loud that it shook the earth around him. His eyes turned down, towards the one standing defiantly before him, the one person who stood in his way, blocking the path towards his target.

"Stay out of my way," the giant of a man, a former samurai of the shogunate, growled. Nothing and no one would stop Kujiranami Hyogo from having his revenge on the one who had stolen not only his life, but also his warrior's death.

"Sorry, whale-face," the boy, no, young man standing a few meters in front of him glared up at his opponent, clear brown eyes staring unflinchingly into eyes maddened with obsession. "Kenshin's busy right now. He's fighting himself. It's an important battle, and I can't let someone like you interfere. So, if you really need an opponent…it will be me!"

Even through his madness, Kujiranami seemed to realize that the only way he would be getting to Battousai was to go through this boy. A remote part of his mind marvelled at the courage of the boy – he didn't look any older than ten or eleven, and he was staring at him with unflinching determination, willing to fight to the bitter end.

_Concentrate. Do not back down. Just focus on what's ahead._ Yahiko closed his eyes for a split second. It was a plan that was reckless to the extreme – expecially against an opponent whose sheer weight could crush him like a fly. But there was no other choice. The _Ryu Tsui Sen_ imitation he'd been working on would never work out here – Kujiranami was too tall for him to jump up to, and even if he did pull it off, that wall of muscles wouldn't fall from a puny blow from his shinai.

His trump card, the _Ryu Sho Sen_, had proven somewhat effective, as he'd aimed for the junction of flesh and metal where the gun was attached, but Kujiranami had shaken it off in his rage. _I'll have to use this. Don't look back. Look forward._ Even if it was a foolish plan, he figured it gave him a shot at taking out his opponent. And there was no way in hell Myojin Yahiko would let the insane, gun-wielding Kujiranami pass this point into an area the police hadn't cleared yet. Too many innocents could get hurt if this didn't stop here.

Kenshin's words from long ago came back to him, words that he had heard months ago. _Remember, Yahiko. Not only does your life depend on it, but also the lives of those you're protecting. He who wields Katsujinken is not allowed to loose._ His grip on his shinai tightened.

_That's right. I can't loose. Too many people are in danger here. I'll stop him, even if it costs my life. _He realized with a sad smile that it most likely would. His wounds from battling Otowa Hyoko still not completely healed, Yahiko hadn't been in the best of shapes to begin with. Shrapnel from the grenades and the explosion almost directly to his back when he had shielded that boy had his back burning in pain and he could feel the blood flowing freely, seeping into his gi.

_Focus on defeating him. I have to defeat him. Focus on what's ahead….I can't. Every time I close my eyes I see him that night at the Akabeko, selflessly running ahead. I want to follow him. I want to follow Kenshin, and some day catch up to him. I want to follow his path._

He could remember Kenshin rushing ahead that night, could picture it so vividly. If the rurouni were here right now, there was no way he would back down, no matter how strong the opponent. He wielded his sword to protect the people. Another memory seeped into Yahiko's thoughts. _I've killed many men, but everyone can throw away something that is not wanted. Dying is the easy way out. Living is what requires true courage. The instant I realized that, I drew upon a different kind of strength. The will to live is strong, stronger than anything._ Kenshin hadn't just been talking about using the _Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki_.

_I refuse to die here. Kenshin will come back and then we'll go rescue Kaoru. And someday, I will catch up to him. But in order to follow that path, I have to clear the way. For Kenshin, for Kaoru, for myself, for everyone…_**I will not loose!**_** I'll clear the way**_.

His eyes snapped open. He could feel the rush of his blood. He could hear the wind around him, the leaves dancing in the air._ I'll clear the way!_

A leaf drifted past him, disintegrating as it fell past his eyes. He could hear the distinct snap it made in the crisp air, but his eyes and mind were set of the opponent before him. And then the battle was on.

"Yahiko."

The boy turned at the mention of his name. He'd been leaning against the railing at the back of the police ship; the trip to Enishi's island refuge would most likely take a good part of the morning. Kenshin stood next to him, looking out across the water, his red hair fluttering in the breeze.

"What is it, Kenshin?"

"Thank you."

"What for?" Yahiko turned to stare at the man he'd come to admire.

"For believing in this one. For not giving up." Kenshin's hand fell on the hilt of his sakabato. "Just before I got to you and Kujiranami, I felt something."

Violet eyes danced with a hint of a smile that left Yahiko puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"This one could clearly feel it, even though it was at quite a distance. Your Ken-Ki, Yahiko."

"My what?"

Kenshin smiled, the first smile that reached his eyes since the entire mess of Enishi's Jinchuu had begun. "Your swordsman's spirit. This one could feel it shining as brilliantly as the sun."

Yahiko could only blink in surprise. "But I don't remember-" _Snap_.

The rush of wind around him.

The leaves dancing in the air.

The leaf right in front of his eyes.

_Snap_.

"Oh. You mean, that was-"

"Yes." Kenshin nodded. "That was your Ken-Ki."

"But I thought-"

The red-haired swordsman placed a hand on Yahiko's head. "You're strong, Yahiko. Stronger than you may think. Ken-Ki and Katsujinken aren't just about skill and power, but about the heart." Kenshin placed a hand on his chest. "It's about determination. The will to live, to continue to fight and protect. Unwillingness to back down. That is what makes you strong, Yahiko. Your spirit. Your skills and body will soon follow. That's a guarantee."

Yahiko remained silent for a long time. Kenshin had thought the boy was lost in thought when he finally said, "I understand…I think."

"Good." And Kenshin knew he did. He knew this boy would go far. Every time he fought, he got stronger, and it wasn't because of his talent – oh, Yahiko was talented, there was no denying it, but it wasn't the reason why he was improving so much, so quickly. It wasn't the reason he pushed himself so much. The true reason was his convictions. The deep-rooted admiration he held for Kenshin had led him to fully embrace the philosophy of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. The rurouni could feel it, even now, the change in Yahiko's ki.

He could sense that the boy had come to realize the true reason for wanting to be stronger. It wasn't just so that he could be of more help to Kenshin, or so that he didn't have to be protected anymore. He wanted to be stronger because he wanted to _protect_ people. Kenshin had felt it for the first time the night of the attack on the dojo, when he'd been faced with Otowa Hyoko.

After Gein had shown up in his Savage-Mode Iwanbo, Kenshin had felt, for a brief moment, a flicker of an insanely determined, insanely strong fighting ki behind him. He'd glanced back, thinking it was Kaoru, or maybe someone else. Maybe Aoshi and Misao had shown up. But no…it had been Yahiko. At that instant, the boy had been so determined to not let anyone harm his friends that he would have taken on all of the Six Comrades by himself if he had to.

That was the instant Kenshin knew he could leave Otowa to Yahiko, because the boy's determination to keep them safe shone brightly from the boy. He'd entrusted his beliefs, his right to wield a sword to protect to Yahiko at that instant, and Kaoru's student hadn't disappointed.

"So, Kenshin, what're you standing around here brooding for?" Sanosuke rounded the corner, a rice ball in his hand.

"Are you sure you're fine, Ken-san?" Megumi appeared on his other side. "Your injuries aren't fully healed yet."

"Aoshi-sama, when are we going to get there? I think I'm getting sea-sick!"

"Misao, not here. The railing is over there."

"And Himura! Why're you so damn calm! Ugh, I think I'm going to be-"

"Misao. The railing."

"Yes, Aoshi-sa-"

"Misao."

Kenshin smiled as Misao let herself be guided to the railing by Aoshi. "I'm just preserving my strenght. I know I'm not fully healed yet, Megumi-dono. To be honest, I don't have time for minor skirmishes, I need to concentrate on the fight with Enishi. So I'd like to ask a favor of all of you." His violet eyes wandered from person to person. Sano, Yahiko, Megumi, Aoshi, Misao.

"Lend me your strength." His eyes settled on Yahiko, and he could see the fire burning in the boy's heart.

And he smiled as they all echoed the same reply: "Do you even need to ask?"

And he knew that Yahiko would make it far. The boy had understood the heart of Katsujinken. The heart of the sword of life.


End file.
